new york city

BLACKOUT03, a new play by fifteen-year Greenpoint resident Kate Bell, is premiering tonight at Manhattan’s HERE Arts Center (145 6th Ave, New York, NY) as part of the legendary Downtown Urban Theater Festival, and stars Alex Major, Chinaza Uche, LaTonia Phipps, and Lindsey Austen. The play is now sold out.

The play takes place on a Greenpoint rooftop during the historic blackout of August 2003, and centers on four friends who meet up to enjoy the magical evening, but “when the lights go out, shit gets real,” says Bell, and issues of race, class, and gentrification bubble to the surface. Greenpointers caught up with Bell today before the show. Continue reading →

It’s almost summer. North Brooklyn bike lanes are busy and the parks are full of folks like you who want to feel great and get into shape. But getting fit isn’t just hitting the running track. Wellness is also about eating great and staying active with fun fitness routines. There are a variety of ways to get healthy in our neighborhood, meet new people and enjoy irresistible perks. A great way to get started is through Athletes Club.

Athletes Club is a members-only service suited for everyone that loves to live healthy and active! It’s the best way to discover, experience, and save at top-notch fitness studios, healthy restaurants, and active shops in New York City and North Brooklyn. Members receive unlimited benefits to use at over 100 partnering businesses, including Brooklyn Boulders, Summer’s Juice, JackRabbit Sports, SYNC Studio, and Torque Fitness, Ride Brooklyn, and Awakening NY.

Plus, members can experience free classes, social outings, and other unique experiences, like the all inclusive World Cup Viewing Party. Say goodbye to your boring fitness routine!

Following recent NYC shows at Leadbelly, The Radegast Beer Hall and SOHO House, the Swamp Donkeys will play their unique version of traditional New Orleans Jazz from 4-pm Tonight June 7th at The Exley (1 Jackson Street, b/w Union and Meeker).

Everything happens on the front patio– live music, the hood’s best classic cocktails, some food, and no cover charge. The band is rumored to appreciate tips, CD purchases, smiles, and dancing. Join us on a perfect Brooklyn Summer afternoon of booze, sunshine, food, and great live music. Get an idea of what you’re in store for in the video below.

Do you ever stop to think about the enormous undertaking and organization required to keep New York City clean? Robin Nagle does, and she wants everyone in New York City (and beyond) to realize just how different our day to day lives would be without the impressive work of the sanitation department.

On Thursday night, Robin Nagle spoke to a group of about 50 people at Acme Studios in a talk entitled “Invisible Trash: Exploring New York City’s Garbage.” She covered 400 years of garbage collection history and the ins-and-outs of snow removal, street cleaning, and disaster response in the Department of Sanitation of New York. Her book, Picking Up, was also on sale which chronicles her findings while studying the history and culture of sanitation workers, as well as her time working trash removal with the department. Continue reading →

Last Friday night we were so excited to light our Greenpointers Neon Sign. Ain’t she a beaut? Thanks to everyone who donated and made this beautifully crafted piece of art a reality. And thanks to Robbie Ingui of Artistic Neon for doing such a badass job. The sign will be on display at our Holiday Market on 12/8/13! Come by a check it out.

In a tragic turn of events for the street art community worldwide and the general soul of NYC, 5Pointz’s exterior walls and the works of over 1500 international artists was completely white washed under the cover of darkness last night with protection from the police – all for the development of high rise luxury towers in Long Island City, despite rallying against demolition and an effort to get landmark status for the building.

There have been talks about the MTA partnering with Citibike to foot the bill for bike docking stations in Greenpoint and LIC given the G train service outage beginning next weekend.

I got on the phone with Citibike and the MTA to find out whether this is happening.

The short answer from the MTA is that “it is being discussed” but “there is no timeline.” Part of the discussion includes the MTA paying for the bikes.

Ronald Leiva, representing Citibike said that it’s “a possibility,” but that I should consider it a “rumor” with “no hard evidence” but that he is “not denying that it is not happening.” He went on to say that there is also “no timeline”, but he did mention that if the MTA were to pay for the program they would get their logo on the bikes. Score! Maybe they could put the G train logo on it.

When questioned as to why Greenpoint was not initially included, he said that the DOT chose the locations which are in more densely populated areas around bridges. Apparently the Queensboro Bridge and our beloved Pulaski don’t count.

According to the Daily News, Greenpoint was in the initial plans which, “were scaled back, and those neighborhoods were excluded after equipment stored in a Brooklyn warehouse was damaged by Superstorm Sandy flooding.”

Leiva of Citibike went on to say that as they receive more “sponsorship” aka advertising dollars they will expand outward and that they will likely expand into Greenpoint, but this may not be for “a few years” – unless the “rumors” about partnering with the MTA become a reality in the short term.

Do you want Citibike in Greenpoint? Were you disappointed when Greenpoint didn’t receive a docking station? Will you use Citibike in place of G train service to LIC?

Tuesday morning en route to the Nassau Ave. G train, I was surprised to encounter a large tree branch laying across Norman Ave. while resting partially on top of a guilty-looking Pepsi truck. It appeared, upon closer examination, that the tree had just been clipped by the truck, which caused some of the wood to split, taking down a large chunk of the tree with it. Traffic was closed on the street as a result of this significant obstruction.

The site of the accident on Norman Ave. (off of Lorimer St.)

However, as of that evening, the entire tree had been cut down and almost entirely removed. It’s a shame considering that it was a good tree that just got hit with some bad luck (or, in this case, a Pepsi truck). An innocent casualty in the transport of carbonated beverages, the city had no choice but to take it out it entirely.